Sanitary sipping-straw dispenser



April 1, 1958 L. A. WILLS 2,828,887

' SANITARY SIPPING-STRAW DISPENSER Filed March 5, 1956 IN VENTOR United States Patent F SANITARY SIPPING-STRAW DISPENSER Leonard Atlee Wills, Arlington County, Va. Application March 5, 1956, Serial No. 569,371

4 Claims. (Cl. 221-192) The object of my invention is to provide a sanitary sipping-straw dispenser that will reliably deliver a straw at each operation of the ejector mechanism with ease of operation and permit a simple construction with few inexpensive parts so it will be of low cost for primary use in restaurants and soda fountains.

The invention consists of a sanitary sipping-straw dispenser comprising a jar which may be of transparent glass or plastic for holding a quantity of straight sipping straws and protecting them from sources of contamination; an ejector mechanism inside the jar for engaging a straw and lifting it so a portion of its length will be above the top of the jar available for grasping by hand; a downwardly funnel-shaped cup with an aperture or slot at the vertex with said cup mounted and supported within and at bottom of the jar for the purpose of positioning the bottom ends of the straws so as to make them accessible for ejection; an upwardly funnel-shaped removable top with an aperture at the vertex and straw retaining springs attached thereto, the purpose of the top being to guide the top end of a straw while the straw is being lifted by the ejector as well as providing a lid for the jar and the retaining springs for the purpose of retaining the straw until it is withdrawn by hand and if two straws are ejected to permit the second straw to fall back into the jar; and a plug to close the aperture or slot in the cup when the ejector is in an upward position and a spring to push the plug into the aperture, the purpose of the plug being to keep bottom ends of the straws away from above the aperture inthe cup so they will not be in the way of the engaging portion of the ejector moving downward through the aperture.

Some of the advantages of the invention are that the jar may be of transparent glass or plastic for viewing of the straws, the jar may be heavy and short enough to give the dispenser stability, and straws are encased in a sanitary container. The grasp knob is at the top of the device and requires a natural lifting motion for operation. The complete assembly inside the jar may be lifted from the jar for cleaning purposes. The assembly being completely detachable from the jar permits replacement of either independently of the other, or the assembly may be used as a straw dispenser attachment in other existing ars.

An embodiment of my invention is described and explained in the description and drawings. The following is' a brief description of the several views of the drawings:

Figure 1 is a central longitudinal vertical section of the dispenser.

Figure 2 is an outline view of the dispenser.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of bottom of the strawpositioning cup, support springs, and fragmentary portions of frame and guide.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the straw-positioning cup with frame and support springs and the ejector mechanism.

2,828,887 Patented Apr. 1, 1958 Figure 5 is a detail perspective view of the closure plug with its return spring.

Figure 6 is a plan view of the retaining springs attached to a fragmentary portion of the top. p

A detailed description is given so that the construction, operation, and features of the invention may be clearly understood:

In carrying my invention into efii'ect a cylindrical transparent glass or plastic jar 1, shown in Figs. 1 and 2, of proper size and shape is employed. Near outside top of jar two protrusions 27 are formed in the jarover which the indentations 26 in the flange 22 of top 18 may be clamped, holding the top tightly onto jar and properly orientating it angularly.

At bottom of jar 1 is a downwardly funnel-shaped straw-positioning cup 2, shown in Figs. 1, 3, and 4, of proper thickness and with the periphery of the cup held in a horizontal position a short distance above the bottom of the jar by the mounting frame 5 which is a relatively thin walled cylinder of proper height with its outside diameter slightly less than the inside diameter of the to the frame 5 by permitting the extension 15 of guide 6 to encircle the inside circumference of the frame 5 to make a sturdy assembly. The' guide 6 extends down through the cup 2 at edge of the aperture 3. The top of the vertical guide 6 extends nearly to top of the jar and is headed 24 to form a stop for the slide 7, shown in Figs. 1 and 4.

The ejector, shown in Figs. 1 and 4, comprises a slide 7, a slender vertical rod 8, a short slender horizontal bar 9, and engaging pins 10 and 11. The slide 7 is a straight cylindrical length of tube of proper thickness and has an inside square cross-sectional opening to match the cross-section of guide 6. The two short upright engaging pins 10 and 11 have smooth tips, are spaced approximately a straw-diameter apart, and are slightly tilted to opposite side of the jar from their upright position. The short horizontally positioned bar 9 connects the bottom ends of the two pins 10 and 11 to the lower end of the vertically positioned slender rod 8. The top of the rod 8' is attached to the slide 7 which slides on the guide 6'. Of course the pieces 10, 11, 9, and 3 may be of integral material such as wire bent and fashioned as described. The pins 10 and 11 are located so the tips of the pins will be a short distance below the aperture 3 in the cup 2 when the ejector is at bottom position, and pins are so aligned that they may pass through the aperture without interference. The ejector is kept aligned angularly because the square cross-sectional opening of the slide 7 being mated with the cross-section of the guide 6 does not permit angular relative motion of the parts.

A lifting rod 12, shown in Figs. 1 and 4, extends vertically down through a hole 28 in the top 18 near the inside edge of the jar, and the bottom end of the rod 12 is attached to the slide 7. A grasp knob 13, shown in views 1, 2, and 4, is attached at top of the lifting rod 12 outside of the jar.

The purpose of the straw-positioning cup 2 is to position the straws over the aperture 3 with bottom ends of the straws close together so the engaging pins 10 and' 11 may move up through the aperture 3, engage one or a shape of the positioning cup 2, including the size and locar tion of the aperture 3; and the shape,"size', spacing, 'position, and number of engaging pins on the ejector. The positioning cup 2 being funnel-shaped causes the bottom ends of the straws in the jar to be funneled to the vertex of the cup by force of gravity, and the bottom ends of the straws will be pressed closely together above the aperture 3 which is narrow enough that the straws will not fall through. By having the bottom ends of the straws together and having two engaging pins properly spaced, shaped, and positioned, moving up through the aperture makes it almost certain that the bottom end of a straw will be engaged by an engaging pin. By having the vertex of cup 2 near the side of the jar, the top ends of the straws fall to opposite side of the jar; and in this manner the straws tend to arrange themselves parallel to each other, and movement of bottom ends of straws on the cup toward the aperture is facilitated. Also, the engaging pins engage and eject the straws closest to that side of the jar, thereby permitting movement of straws toward the aperture from only one direction for the most part; whereas if the aperture was at the center of a conical cup, the straws would move up from all directions and tend to stand each other away, allowing a vacant space to occur above the aperture into which a single pointed engaging plunger would be raised. Several small support Springs 14 are attached and spaced around inside edge of the bottom of the frame 5, holding the mounting frame a short distance from the bottom of the jar. As the moving parts of the ejector mechanism 7, 3, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13, fall by the force of gravity to the bottom position; the bottom of the slide 7 strikes the top edge of the frame 5, which is supported on the springs 14, and the entire assembly is jarred. This jar agitates the straws resting on the cup 2. As it is the nature of straws to fail to slide occasionally when resting on a funnel-shaped smooth surface under static forces of their own weight, agitation may be necessary to get them moving again; and, if so, it is available when needed.

The upwardly funnel-shaped top 18, shown in Figs. 1 and 2, guides the top ends of the straws through the aperture 19 at the vertex as the straws are lifted by the ejector. The top has a vertically downward extended flange 2.2 at its periphery which has two indentations 26 so shaped and located to mate with the protrusions 27 on outside top end of the jar. The discharge spout 20 is flared to provide a guard to keep users hand away from the aperture area. Two fiat cantilever retaining springs 23 secured on exterior of the top and on opposite sides of the aperture 19 extend through slots 21 in flared portion of discharge spout and clasp the straw on its exit, and the contact edges 25 of the springs being roughened retain the straw from falling back into the jar as the ejector is released. The contact edges 25 of the retaining springs 23 are straight and at a slight horizontal angle to each other. Should two straws be lifted through the aperture 19 in the top, one straw on each engaging pin; the contact edges of the retaining springs being straight and at a slight horizontal angle to each other will clasp only one straw, the straw at the position where the edges of the-springs are closer together, and allow the other straw, the straw on the other side where the edges 25 of the springs 23 are farther apart, to fall back into the jar upon release of the ejector. Thereby the dispenser is made one straw at each operation.

The closure plug 17 is a small block of material attached to the end of a cantilever spring 16, other end of the cantilever spring being attached to the inside lower edge of the frame on the opposite side of the jar. The plug is allowed to ride up with the bottom edge of the ejector, bar 9, and close the aperture 3 and slightly raise the ends of the straws above the edges of the aperture. Edges of the aperture are flared downward to form guides for the closure plug 17, and this also leaves smooth edges at the aperture. On the downward movement of the ejector, the bottom end of the ejector, bar 9, pushes the to deliver only plug 17 out of the aperture 3, allowing the straws to slide over the aperture after the ejector has passed through.

The operation of my device is as follows:

The top 18 is removed from the jar 1, and the jar is filled with straws and then the top is replaced. The bottom ends of the straws rest against the cup 2. The cup 2 being funnel-shaped causes the bottom ends of the straws to move over the aperture 3 with ends close together. As the grasp knob 13 is lifted by a person, the lifting rod 12 causes the slide 7 to slide up on the guide 6, causing the pins 10 and 11 to move up through the aperture 3; and the chances are that only one pin will enter the opening in the bottom of a straw. The bottom edge of the straw engaged will rest against the'horizontal bar 9 and be lifted thereby to a position where a portion of the straw is above the top of the container available for grasping by hand. The pins enter the open bottom end of the straws and extend up into the straws the height of the pins, thereby, erecting the straws engaged. As the top of a straw moves up, it is guided by the upwardly funnelshaped top 18 through the aperture 19 at the vertex. The retaining springs 23 clasp the straw. on its exit and retain it from falling back into the jar as the ejector is released. Occasionally two straws are engaged, one by each pin. In this case the contact edges of the retaining springs being straight and at a slight horizontal angle to each other will clasp only one straw and allow the other straw to fall back into the jar upon release of the grasp knob. As the ejector moves up, the closure plug 17 rides up with the bottom of the ejector, bar 9, and closes the aperture 3. When the grasp knob 13 is released, the bottom of the slide 7 strikes the top edge of the frame 5, jarring the assembly of which the cup is a part and thereby agitating the straws. The engaging pins move down between the straws, and the horizontal bar 9 pushes the closure plug 17 down out of the aperture 3, and the bottom ends of the straws slide back in over the aperture 3. The device is then ready to be operated again.

I desire that it be understood that various alterations in the details of construction may be made to the specific embodiment of my invention illustrated and described without departing from the scope of the invention.

' What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A sanitary sipping-straw dispenser of the character described comprising a jar adapted to contain straws standing on end therein, a removable upwardly funnelshaped top with an aperture at the vertex with said funnel- -shaped top adapted to guide the ends of straws being lifted by an ejector into said aperture for exit, a downwardly-funnel-shaped cup with an aperture at the vertex, said aperture being narrow enough to prevent straws from falling through but wide enough to permit a'portion of the ejector to pass through, said vertex being located near the periphery of the cup and said cup being located within and at the bottom of the jar and said funnel-shaped cup adapted to position straws over said aperture by gravity tunneling the straws to said aperture, a straight guide vertically positioned within the jar, anejector with a first portion thereof slidable on and guided by said guide and a second portion extending from said first portion with two upright pins at the other end with said pins positioned and aligned to pass through the aperture in the cup and each said pin adapted to engage the bottom end of a straw that is positioned above the aperture in the cup and said second portion of the ejector adapted to lift said engaged straws into the aperture in the top, means by which the user may actuate said ejector, two similiar cantilever springs attached to the top on opposite sides of said aperture having rough straight clasping edges at a slight horizontal angle to each other with said clasping edges positioned immediately above the aperture and projecting into the I path of the straw or straws being lifted through the aperture in the top so that a single straw will causesaid springs to deflect creating a spring force that will retain said straw and prevent it from falling by its own weight back into jar and said clasping edges at an angle to each other causing only the straw on the side where the edges are closer together to be clasped and retained when two straws are lifted into the aperture in the top, and a closure plug adapted to fit into the aperture in the cup from the bottom side to hold the straws slightly above the edges of the aperture so that the engaging portion of the ejector may push said straws aside and pass down through said aperture thus preventing the engaging portion of the ejector from crushing the end of a straw against the edge of said aperture when trying to pass down through said aperture, and a spring adapted to push said closure plug upward.

2. A sanitary sipping-straw dispenser of the character described comprising a jar adapted to contain straws standing on end therein, a removable upwardly funnelshaped top with an aperture at the vertex with said funnelshaped top adapted to guide the ends of straws being lifted by an ejector into said aperture for exit, a downwardly funnel-shaped cup with an aperture at the vertex, said aperture being narrow enough to prevent straws from falling through but wide enough to permit a portion of the ejector to pass through, said vertex being located near the periphery of the cup and said cup being located within and at the bottom of the jar and said funnel-shaped cup adapted to position straws over said aperture by gravity funneling the straws to said aperture, a straight guide vertically positioned within the jar standing like a post with its bottom end attached to other parts positioned at the bottom of the jar for its support, an ejector witha first portion thereof slidable on and guided by said guide and having a cross-section mated with the cross-section of said guide so that relative angular movement of the two parts is prohibited and a second portion extending from said first portion with two upright pins at the other end with said second portion positioning said pins so the tips of the pins will be a short distance beneath the cup and said pins aligned to pass through said aperture in the cup without interference when said ejector is at its bottom position and each said pin being adapted to engage the bottom end of a straw that is positioned above the aperture in the cup and said second portion of the ejector being adapted to lift the engaged straws into the aperture in the top so that they may be grasped by hand, a rod vertically positioned and extending through a hole in the top near the inside edge of the jar and above the ejector and said rod having a grasp knob at its upper end which is outside of the jar and the other end of said rod being attached to the first portion of the ejector and said rod adapted to move in both vertical directions providing means for the user to actuate the ejector, two similiar cantilever springs attached to the top on opposite sides of the aperture having rough straight clasping edges at a slight horizontal angle to each other with said clasping edges positioned immediately above the aperture and projecting into the path of the straw or straws being lifted through the aperture in the top so that a single straw will cause said springs to deflect creating a spring force that will retain said straw between the springs and prevent same from falling by its own weight back into the jar and said clasping edges being at a slight horizontal angle to each other causing only the straw on the side where the edges are closer together to be clasped between the edges of the two springs and retained when two straws are lifted into the aperture in the top, and a closure plug adapted to fit into the aperture in the cup from the bottom side to hold the straws slightly above the edges of the aperture so that a portion of the ejector may push said straws aside and pass down through said aperture thus preventing the second portion of the ejector from crushing the end of a straw against the edge of said aperture, and a spring adapted to supply a force to push said plug cup as the ejector moves upward.

described comprising a jar adapted to hold a quantity" of straws standing on end therein, a removable upwardly funnel-shaped top with an aperture at the vertex with said funnel-shaped top adapted to guide the topends of straws being lifted by an ejector into said aperture for exit, a downwardly funnel-shaped cup with an aperture at the vertex, said aperture being narrow enough to prevent straws from falling through but wide enough to permit a portion of an ejector to pass through, said vertex being located near the periphery of the cup and said cup located within and at the bottom of the jar and said funnel-shaped cup adapted to position straws over said aperture by gravity funneling the straws to said aperture, a straight guide vertically positioned within the jar standing like a post with its bottom end attached to other parts within and at the bottom of the jar for its support, an ejector with a first portion thereof slidable on and guided by said guide and having a cross-section mated with the cross-section of said guide so that relative angular movement of the two parts is prohibited and a second portion extending from said first portion with two upright pins at the other end with said second portion positioning said pins so that the tips of said pins will be a short distance beneath the cup when the ejector is at its bottom position and aligning said pins to pass through the aperture in the cup without interference and each said pin being adapted to engage the bottom end of a straw that is positioned above the aperture in the cup and said second portion of the ejector being adapted to lift the engaged straws into the aperture in the top so that they may be grasped by hand, a rod vertically positioned and extending through a hole in the top near the inside edge of the jar and above the ejector and said rod having a grasp knob at its upper end which is outside of the jar and the other end of said rod being attached to the first portion of the ejector and said rod adapted to move in both vertical directions providing means for the user to actuate the ejector, two similar cantilever springs attached to the top on opposite sides of the aperture having rough straight clasping edges at a slight horizontal angle to each other with said clasping edges positioned immediately above the aperture and projecting into the path of the straw or straws being lifted through the aperture in the top so that a single straw will cause said springs to deflect creating a spring force that will retain said straw between the edges of the two springs and prevent it from falling by its own weight back into the jar and said clasping edges being at a slight horizontal angle to each other causing only the straw on the side where the edges are closer together to be clasped and retained when two straws are lifted into the aperture in the top, a closure plug adapted to fit into the aperture in the cup from the bottom side to hold the straws slightly above the edges of the aperture so that a portion of the ejector may push said straws aside and .pass down through said aperture thus preventing a portion of the ejector from crushing the end of a straw against the edge of said aperture, a spring adapted to supply a force to push said plug into the aperture of the cup from the bottom side of the cup as the ejector moves upward, a guard attached to the top being positioned a short distance above the aperture and having an inside circumference large enough that does not interfere with ejected straws and being adapted to keep the users hands from coming in contact with the aperture area, and a spring or springs resting on the inside bottom of the jar acting as supports for the assembly of which the cup is a part and being adapted to allow said assembly to oscillate or jar when said assembly receives an impact by the falling ejector and the parts attached thereto and moving therewith the ejector.

4. A straw dispenser attachment adapted to fit inside an open top jar comprising a downwardly funnel-shaped cup with an aperture at the vertex, said aperture being narrow enough to prevent straws from falling through but wide enough to permit a portion of the ejector to pass through with said vertex located near the periphery of the cup and said funnel-shaped cup adapted to position the bottom ends of straws over said aperture by gravity tunneling the straws to said aperture, a straight guide vertically positioned at the edge of the cup and near the aperture and standing like a post with its bottom end attached to or in conjunction with said cup for its support, an ejector with a first portion thereof slidable on and guided by said guide and having a crosssection mated with the cross-section of said guide so that relative angular movement of the two parts is prohibited and a second portion extending from said first portion with two upright pins at the other end with said second portion positioning said pins so that the tips of said pins will be a short distance beneath the cup when the ejector is at its bottom position and aligning said pins to pass through the aperture in the cup without interference and each said pin being adapted to engage the bottom end of a straw that is positioned above the aperture in the cup and said second portion of the ejector being adapted to lift the engaged straw or straws into the aperture in the top, a rod vertically positioned and extending through a hole in the top and said rod having a grasp knob at its upper end and the other end of said rod being attached to the first portion of the ejector and said rod adapted to move in both vertical directions providing means for the user to actuate the ejector, a closure plug adapted to fit into the aperture in the cup from the bot tom side to hold the straws slightly above the edges of the aperture so that a portion of the ejector may push said straws aside and pass down through said aperture, a spring adapted to supply a force to push said plug into the aperture of the cup from the bottom side of the cup as the ejector moves upward, a spring or springs attached to the cup or to the assembly of which the cup is a part and acting as supports for the assembly when gas es? resting on the inside bottom of a jar and said springs being adapted to allow said assembly to oscillate or jar when said assembly receives antimpact. by the falling ejector and parts attached to said ejector, an upwardly funnelshaped top adapted to guide the top ends of the straw being lifted by the ejector into an aperture at the vertex so that a portion of the straw will be above the top accessible for grasping by hand and said top having a flange extending downwardly from its periphery and said flange being adapted to fit onto the top of an open top jar so that it may be readily removed and replaced, two similiar cantilever springs attached to the top on opposite sides of the aperture having rough straight clasp- 1 ing edges at a slight horizontal angle to each other with said cla sping edges positioned immediatelyabove the aperture and projecting into the path of the straw or straws being lifted through the aperture in the top so that a single straw will. cause said springs to deflect creating a spring force that will retain said straw between the two springs and prevent it from falling by its own weight back into the. jar and said clasping edges being at a slight horizontal angle to each other causing only the straw on the side where the edges are closer together to be clasped and retained when two straws are I lifted into the aperture in the top, and a guard attached to the top being positioned a short distance above the aperture in the top and having aninside circumference large enough that it does not interfere with the straws being ejected and said guard being adapted to keep the users hand from coming in contact with the aperture area in the top.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,056,330 Griel Mar. 18, 1913 1,124,146 Kroll Jan. 5, 1915 1,211,139 Griel et al. Jan. 2, 1917 1,215,937 Iandron Feb. 13, 1917 1,276,338 Eisenhardt Aug. 20, 1918 

